Bump this thread is still pertinent.
Suggest it be read in conjunction with thread http://www.australianfishing.com.au/forum/general-chat/436604-what-is-fair/reply/462444
Cheers
Ray
A beautiful woman went to the gynaecologist... The doctor took one look at the woman and all his professionalism flew out the window. He immediately told her to get undressed. After she disrobed the doctor began to stroke her thigh. While doing so he asked her, "Do you know what I am doing?"
"Yes," she replied, "you are checking for abrasions or dermatological abnormalities."
"That s right," said the doctor. He then began to fondle her breasts. "Do you know what I am doing now?" he asked.
"Yes," she said, "you are checking for lumps which might indicate breast cancer."
"Correct," replied the shady doctor. Finally, he started having sexual intercourse with her. He asked, "Do you know what I am doing now?"
"Yes," she said, "you're getting syphilis; which is why I came here in the first place."
My husband & I were both suffering from depression so we both decided to commit suicide yesterday.
Strangely enough after he killed himself, I started feeling much better so I thought damn it, I’ll just soldier on.
Friend 1. “I heard your husband passed away last week.â€
Friend 2. “Yes he went down to his garden to dig up a cabbage for dinner & dropped dead in the middle of the vegetable patch.â€
Friend 1. “That’s terrible, what did you do?â€
Friend 2. “Oh I just opened up a can of peas instead.â€
A woman goes to the Doctor in Glasgow, worried about her husband's violence towards her. The Doc asks: "Tell me about itâ€
The woman says: "Weeell Doctor , I dinae know what to do.
Every time ma hubbie comes home drunk, he threatens to slap me aroon'."
The Doctor says: "Aye, well... I have a real good cure for that. When your husband arrives home drunk, just take a wee glass of water and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish but don't swallow it until he goes to bed and is sound asleep."
Two weeks later she comes back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn.
She says: "Doctor that was brilliant! Evrae time ma hubbie came home drunk, I swished with water. I swished an' swished, and he didnae touch me even once!
Tell me Doc...wha's the secret? How's the water do that?"
The Doctor says: "It's really nae big secret.
The water does bugger all - it's keeping your mouth shut that’s what does the trick..."
Had a hard decision to make this morning. Cancer popped up again for my girl in a real bad way. She's off with the fishing gods now. Sinking a few for you now.
Should have bought my twin power 8000pg BJ. I bought it for that purpose but it was too heavy for me. Sold it for dirt cheap.
Im going to get another combo soon. Thinking of a Stella 5000 with 200 Jig tcurve Paul from IFISH uses something something similar. My mate has same set up and it feels nice. Its not too heavy either. Good for popping and jigging.
Hey Dom are you talking about the Saltiga Maverik 6500 with monstor mesh.
That was my mate Imy old setup. I think you bought it from him.that was a killer setup. He sold it because he needed money to buy bigger boat.
We fish together all the time lol.
He's looking to buy a 6meter plus plate boat now. I was telling him other day once he gets the boat wel follow Dom out to deep tempest and Barwon banks. Thats when he told me he knew you.
Dont rule out an American made 950 Penn Spinfisher.
Not as refined as a Dogfight but there has been thousands of big fish caught on them over the years.
I only have very limited popping experience, but from what I have learned there is no such thing as cheap yet effective popping gear.
Firstly you need a strong reel with strong drag and fast retrieve gear ratio.
Reel: At a bare minimum I would look at a Daiwa Saltist 6500 or a Shimano Saragosa or similar. Either will be around $280. Anything less is likely to get bent or completely destroyed on the first few fish.
Rod: As a minimum a shimano Tcurve GT special or a Daiwa monster mesh popping rod. Around $250-$300.
Line: Around $100
Total ~$650
Disclaimer: I may be wrong and it would be awesome to see something reasonably cheap that works.
Popping is very physically demanding and anything less than what I have listed just won't cast a lure or bloop a lure well, and will have you completely shagged after a few minutes.
A more typical $2000+ combo will be way easier to cast and fish for any period of time than the options I have listed.
I ended up taking the plunge and buying a highish end combo but unfortunately haven't had many opportunities to you use it.
My time will come this coming summer though. :evil:
Im pretty sure there is a steve starling popping or jigging rod at bcf I seen a while ago for about $130ish? then you just gotta find say a stradic 8000 and your in the game
I have caught countless numbers of these pests and anyone that knows me you'll understand that statement but since the target species is in the bay i can pass on some tips for them.
The shipping channels in the bay like out from Bribie island or the inside of moreton island and all channels inbetween are your best bet to start at but all channels like the rainbow channel and the rous along north stradie and the deeper parts of the bay are a good bet.
As others have said before the birds are the sign post of working tuna and look for terns in particular they are the real fisherbirds not seagulls.
You want to start peppering them with your lures when the birds stop flying along and start to hover abover the bustup and then they dive into the bait balls driven up by the tuna get up wind or up current from them don't drive through the school see the way they are moving and let them come to you.
If you see any disturbance in the water in the bay (bustup) the birds just haven't found it yet give it a go you can do alot of miles some days chasing tuna it can be hit and miss.
Lures have been covered by many here already but i like chrome slugs and have a range of sizes to suit the bait that maybe there lures first catch the fishereman and i say its not about colour but size as size really does matter.
You can try the shipping beacons if there is no activity for the day and anchor up so the baits drift down towards the beacon or do drifts past the beacon all shipping beacon will hold pelagics at times so there is no real secret spot but in my experience the ones off bribie and moreton and the start to the rainbow channel just inside southpassage bar do hold them more often.
If your doing this pilchards are probably your best bait and you can still throw lures at the beacon while your drifting baits down
My biggest in the bay was an 18kg longy caught on a pilchard while fishing for mackerel in the raibow channel
Good luck
Very good write up mate
It gave me a few tips too.
Longtails are fun n frustrating to chase. I have had all my luck various colours of 14 gram slugs with upgraded single decoy jigging hook. Marias have being most productive for me. They look like small white bait.
You need decent gear for lontails as they dont know when to stop. I personally have burnt about 4-5 carbonated drags playing with these.
If you fishing metals, you need a High spining reel. You have better chance of landing one. I use a stradic fj 5000 for most pelagics in the bay n its not overly expensive.
I fish bait too but i wouldnt bother for chasing tuna in the bay. More fun chasing schools with metal slugs.
For those who do want to use bait. Go grab a few livies and sit at the beacons. Good chance of catching them n also bycatches like cobia n mackerel. Get in early on a calm weather weekend because every man and his dog is there tryna catch his trophey fish. Its a car park.
This is just my 2 cents n i have had most of my luck fishing this way.
I cant wait for this. Its going to be fun. Itl be good meet new faces.
Same as Andrew if you see a black center console working on a school of tuna with a black guy in it stay away lol go find your own school :evil:. Tuna get scared easily.
As the event comes closer i will be looking for a deckie to take with me.
OK... With the upcoming monthly social events the idea was thrown out there that an article be written up prior to the event that could be made into a FrontPage article for all to see detailing the species for that month and a sort of “How To” on catching them. This would enable people that are keen on chasing the nominated species an insight on fishing for them and might offer them a few tips or point them in the right direction.
Now first up I’m not necessarily to best qualified nor have I caught the most Long tail Tuna in Moreton Bay but I have chased them in boats and a yaks with success and thought I could write up an article on chasing these speedsters that might help a few other people on the site. Feel free to add to this anything that has helped you and nothing I put down is given law on catching Longies so please don’t shoot me down for having a go.
Longtail Tuna are a member of the Tuna family (duh!) that extend from the tip of Cape York right down to south of Sydney and are a seasonal fish that start entering Moreton Bay around Easter every year. The fish usually travel down the coast and the reports from the Hervey Bay are usually a good indicator on how our season will fare here. Size can vary quite a bit from year to year with some years the average fish are only 8kg, other years the average size could be around 15kg it varies from season to season. They are a fantastic sports fish that can be taken on a variety of methods and also fare well on the plate especially for those who enjoy Sushimi. Below I’ll brake it down into different sections and also the main focus will be using plastics as I have no idea about catching them on bait so I'll leave that up to someone else to add if they so desire.
Time of Day and Tides
Put simply time of day doesn't really matter a whole lot for Tuna as they are more of a gentleman’s hours fish meaning you don’t have to be up at sparrows fart to catch them, the middle of the day in the bright sun is as good a time as any. Tide is a different story as in the bay most people looking for Longies will opt to fish an outgoing tide and like most fish “no run means no fun” this applies to Tuna as well as the tide will help them ball the bait up.
Locations
First things first for Longies there's no spot x they can turn up anywhere in the bay, right from the top end of Bribie and as far south as near Coochie. Generally speaking fish in the northern part of the bay will of a bigger average size than those you encounter in the southern half of the bay but the odd bigger models can still turn up anywhere. Some of the more well know spots for chasing them would be places like The Four Beacons, Mud Island, Curtin Reef, Pearl Channel, The Sand Hills, Spitfire Channel, Harries, Rainbow Channel, Rous Channel and the waters all around Peel Island. Also when they're thick in the bay you don’t have to travel far as they can be quite often found within close range of spots like Wello and Cleveland Point so don’t feel you need to travel to the other side of the bay to catch one.
Finding The Fish
Birds, birds and birds are your best friend when locating fish also word of mouth on where they're being caught is not to be overlooked because if there's constant reports of fish coming in from north of Peel than chances are if you fish north of Peel for long enough you'll find them. Longies can vary in the size of the school from solo fish through to bigger schools of thirty or more generally speaking they don’t hang in as large a schools as say Mac Tuna. When driving around the bay keep a constant eye out for birds and try and see what they're seeing, if there's 50 birds diving in one spot with a lot of commotion going on chances are there's some Tuna there, but it's not always that obvious with sometimes a single bird being the only giveaway to the location of the fish. Keep an eye on any bird that is constantly dipping in one spot if he flutters to maintain position in one spot chances are there's something below him whether it be the bait the bird is after or the Tuna you're after. Also Tuna tend to chase the bait fish up onto the edges of sandbanks throughout the bay especially in the areas north of Peel up towards Harries, so if you do find them fire a cast there direction and see what happens. Another thing to remember when trying to catch Tuna is DO NOT just drive up at speed cut the motor and try to catch them that way sure it might work on occasions but in the end most of the time the fish will shut down not to be seen again. Instead the best approach although difficult is to try and watch the travelling direction of the fish and get in front of them allowing them to come to you. It can be hard at times when they're always changing directions but this way the fish will stay up longer and multiple casts can be made at one school of fish.
Rods, Reels and Line
Rod and reel choice can vary quite a lot as they can be landed on anything from a 2-4kg Bream setup right through to heavier spin gear. They don’t fight dirty and a good drag and plenty of line is all that's required to land one but bear in mind that fishing too light will result in you having to drive after the fish and increase your chances of getting sharked. Being this article is geared more towards the plastics style of fish my preference for a Tuna rod would be something in the 7 foot 6-10kg range and a 4000 size reel to suit, brand is not important and all companies make gear that cover these specs. A rod with a softer tip to throw the lure is important to achieve a greater distance if the fish are easily spooked and a strong butt section on the rod to lift them when they circle below the boat is another vital quality to look for in a rod. I personally use a LuckyCraft Light Drop Shot 3-10kg with a Stradic CI4 4000 and have found it more than capable on most bay Tuna. Line wise 20lb braid would be the sweet spot for in the bay and if you used the combo offshore as well 30lb would also be suitable, 10lb would do the job most of the time also but it gets a bit tedious trying to lift the fish on lighter gear. Leaders wise Flurocarbon is the go and generally speaking the shallower the water the fish are found in the lighter the leader needs to be. In the southern bay you could go as low a 14lb leader and be alright but as you head towards the northern half of the bay 30lb would be a better choice as you're more likely to come across other fish like Cobia, Kingfish and Macs.
Lures
Now that you've found some fish and have the rod and reel in your hand you need something to actually throw at the fish and get a strike. Match the hatch is what most people work by and the same goes for Longies, having said that Longies are nowhere near as fussier fish as Mac Tuna can be and as such they take a large variety of plastics and metals. In the bay a lot of the fish are feeding on Hardy Heads and a small 3” plastics in the clearer to opaque varieties is a good place to start, most companies make plastics that suit with brands like Zooms and Bass Assassin through to Berkely and Squidgies all having suitable styles and colours. Jerkbait/forktail minnow styles are probably the best as they represent the baitfish better but they can also be caught on other weird and wonderful styles as well so do be afraid to throw out what's in your tackle box. Jigheads need to be strong and 3/8-1/2oz is probably the best weight as any lighter and you wont cast the distance any heavier and the lure will sink straight past the fishes mouth, hook size just needs to match the plastic you're using. Also ensure the hooks are heavy wire in what ever brand you use aas light wire hooks wont last long on heavier drag settings.
Technique
I have to be honest I’ve not found any technique to be more successful than any other as most of the time when the lure lands in the right spot it's picked up without any retrieve necessary. But unlike metals a fast wind isn't really needed as you want the lure in front of the fish for as long as possible and I tend to find a medium twitching retrieve on the lure seems to do the job. In the end just mix it up as one thing works on one school of fish but not the other. Also let it sink through the school and see what might be beneath it. Another trick is whilst fishing have a lightly weighted plastic dead-sticking out the back of the boat as I know of one person using this technique and it has proven to be quite successful for him.
Landing The Fish
All that's required to land the fish is patience as they wont run for any reefs and they don’t have any teeth to bite you off, you just need to survive the initial run and take it from there, the hardest past of the fight is when the fish is below the boat and circling as they can prove to be quite difficult to lift from this position. The trick here is to just motor off the fish and try and get it arching up on the surface also try and work against the fishes direction of travel say if he's swimming away from you try to work the rod the other way so that you're always trying to turn the fishes head. All that’s needed now is to net or gaff the fish and you're done.
Summary
I hope this is of help to at least one person and that you're able to score your first Longie from it. At the end of the day you just need to be on the water and watching what's going on as most people just drive past good fish not knowing they're there. There will be days where none of the above works and other days where it all falls into place and that's the thing with Tuna as they are so unpredictable and for the yakkers out there Longies are certainly catch-able from a yak in the bay you just need to be a little smarter about chasing them and be prepared to paddle but they're worth it in the end. Now the wait begins for them to start showing up in numbers
regulated reacted to rayke1938 in Advice to deckies spots
regulated got a reaction from ellicat in Show us your Dogs
